Piano.



F. J. W. WEISER.

PIANO.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 21. 1916.

` Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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!FRANK J. W. WEISEB, OF ELMHUBST, ILLINOIS.

PIANO.

Specification of LettcrsPatent.

Patented Aug. 13, 191&

Application filed June 21, 1916. Serial No. 104380.

To all 'whom z't may conccrn: v

Be it known that I, FRANK J. W. WEISER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmhurst, in the county of Dupage and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos; of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. V

My invention relates to pianos, and its object is to rovide a new and useful organization of parts whereby the alinement of the fall-board in its backward andiforward movements is preserved' so that its 'ends will not strike or bind on the side-arms of the case, and the top-frame or music desk may be swung automatically to inclined position when the fall-board is moved inwardly.

In the accompanying drawing-s which illustrate an exemplification of iny invention in its practical and preferred embodiment,

Figure 1 is a front View of the upper portion of an upright piano provided with my invention, part of the top frame being broken away for convenience of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view with the parts in their positions when the fall-board is closed, and

Fig. 3 is a similar View with the parts in their positions when the fall-board is opened and moved back to expose the keys for playing.

In the drawings, the reference numeral A indicates an upright body of any suitable and conventional form having the usual keys a, key-bottom a', key-slip a side-arms a and the necessary strings, hammers and accessories (not shown). The body is provided with a top-frame or music desk B, which is pivoted at or near its top as at b to the body so that its lower edge which is provided with a music-shelf b' may be swung outwardly or forwardly to place the frame in inclined position.

The ball-board C preferably is made in front and rear sections c and c', respectively, which are connected by hinges 0 so that the front section may be folded or turned back on the rear section, and the rear section rolls or slides on guides 0 on the side arms.

A pair of levers D are provided, one at each end of the top-frame or music desk, and which in the form shown constitute kickers adapted to Swing the desk or frame outwardly on its hinges when, the, fall-board is moved rearwardly andto allow the frame or desk to swing inwardly to its vertical or out-of-use position when the fall-board is closed. These kickers may be of any suitable formor construction and may be suitably mounted in the path of the fall-board and operatecl thereby to swing the desk or top-frame, but preferably I make them in the form of curved extensions of the levers D forming the pivotedend-arms of a frame mounted in the rear of the fall-board and top-frame or desk and comprising the upper cross -guide D', which is rigidly supported at its ends on the side-arms a and to which the levers are pivoted or hinged as at d, and the lower cross-brace D which connects the lower ends of the levers. The rear of the fall-board is hinged or pivoted to the lower ends of the levers as at d', and the upper ends of the levers forming the kickers are extended above the piece D' and forwardly curved to bear against and move the part B which may be provided with wear-plates b for the kickers. By this construction the levers and the upper and lower cross-pieces D' and D form a unitary iframe which may be made outside the piano case and assembled in the case as a unit by merely fastening the cross-guide to the sidearms. The levers are pivoted on the crossguide D' so as to Swing only backward and forward without any lateral motion, and the synchronizing cross-brace D extends across the piano and is rigidly connected at its ends to the levers below their fulcrums, so that the levers and cross-breee form a Swinging frame which moves back and forth uniformly and evenly at all points in its length when force is applied to it with consequent uniform motion of the levers, and as the fall-board is hinged directly to the lower ends of the levers it is thereby positively and rigidly held against lateral displacement and moves evenly and uniformly at both ends irrespective of the point where i force is applied to it so that its alinement in 5 projected position the kiokers eXert no pressure on the desk so that the letter may swing down into itsclosed postiony but When the fall-board is moved to its inner or retracted position it ca use's the' kickers to bear upon the desk and Swing1 it to its open position; the return 'of the l-board to its forward' position allowing thedesk to resume its closed position.

*In* a deV'ice of the class described, the

'ombinati'on'of a piano nusio desk, a fall- 'bo'ird horzontally` novable into projected "and retra'cted positions below the desk, V

levers pivotally. mouhted in the piano and i 3 having their lower ends adjaeent the rear of the *fall-'board', 'synchronizing cross-piece rigdly' connected to the leyers below their pivotsflto 'move the 'levers inunison to pre- ,serve the alinement of the fall-board in its movements, 'and hinges oonneoting the fal1- board and lower ends of the levers.

i Qe- In a device of the class described, the combination of a piano nuse-desk pvotally mounted to Swing outwardly, ai fall-board ho'izontally n'ovable into projected and retreeted =positions below the desk,.a-orossguide nounted in the piano above the fall- `board, levers pivoted on the cross-guide and having their upper ends forwardly urv-ed to bearon `,the inusicdesk; hinged connectionsbet iveen the lower ends of the levers and the fali-board, and' it synehronizng cross breee rigidly oonnectiig the lower endsof the levers belo their pivots to move thele ersin unison' to preserve the, zilinemen of h 'fallr oa i itsm ven n s- In testinony Whereof I ztfiix my signature "in presence of two witnesses.

i FRANKJ. .W. WEISERJ witnesses: J. MCROBERTS, ji EDIT VWILCOX.

copies of this patent may be obtainedfor ive cents eih by addressng the "Commissioner of Patents,

' whit; 19.0. K 

